Elvis Presley fans have received a late St Patrick’s Day surprise – the King was Irish according to new claim.
The Irish Sun reports that Elvis should have been singing about green suede shoes thanks to his Carlow roots.
The paper reports that new research has revealed Presley’s ancestors came from the village of Hacketstown in Co Carlow.
The report says Presley’s forefathers found themselves in Heartbreak Hotel after a local row over land forced them to flee to America more than 200 years ago.
Carlow historian Michael Purcell has discovered that the singer’s ancestor William Presley fled Ireland for the US after being savagely battered by a group of ‘evil’ people.
The Irish Sun adds that William later moved to Carolina, where he had a son called Dunnan, and then moved on to Tennessee.
The report explains that Dunnan’s granddaughter Rosella was born in 1863 and though she never married, she had several children, including one called Jessie.
He named his son Vernon Elvis, and Vernon later named his son Elvis Aaron Presley, the man who went on to become The King.
Irish singer Richie Kavanagh has even written a song about Elvis’ Irish roots called ‘And That’s The Truth’.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.Springfield9 | Mar 23, 2013, 07:29 PM EDT
It's common knowledge that the Garden of Eden was in County Wexford .... hence everbody is Irish if you look back far enough.
Rebelforce | Mar 22, 2013, 04:01 PM EDT
This is no surprise. When asked about his ancestry, Elvis Presley himself would reply he was descended from "Irish dirt farmers".
IrelandNorth | Mar 22, 2013, 03:33 PM EDT
Read somewhere once a long time ago that Elvis was supposed to have had Native American (Cheyenne) blood, which may well have accounted for his strikingly handsome features. (Whatever about being Ulster-Scot Calvinist?) His Viva Las Vegas concert were absolutely sublime. True showmanship. Hve never been surpassed, I believe.
Ritz | Mar 22, 2013, 03:18 PM EDT
This story has one flaw. The children of Rosella, had she married the father, would have carried their father's surname.... not the Presley name. Rosella simply chose to give the children her own surname due to not being married. So her son Jessie and grandson Vernon Presley were only Presley's on their mother's side. Meaning Elvis would've actually had a different last name had Rosella married the man who fathered her children.
Schlomo | Mar 22, 2013, 10:24 AM EDT
Next thing they'll be saying Barack Obama's relatives came from Kenya.
Jason Smith | Mar 22, 2013, 10:03 AM EDT
A book came out in 1985 called "Elvis and Gladys" by Elaine Dundy which traced Elvis's roots mostly on his mothers side to France, Scotland and the north of Ireland. There is also a new book called "Elvis and Ireland" by Ivor Casey which looks at the influence Elvis had on Irish popular music. Whether people like it or not, Ireland seems to touch the world and get great notice :)
ancavker | Mar 22, 2013, 09:13 AM EDT
STEVEN: You should direct your anger at the Irish Sun.
Frosty38 | Mar 22, 2013, 09:10 AM EDT
I thought he was Scottish I read his grandmom was a Mansell
alisaann | Mar 22, 2013, 01:02 AM EDT
if this is TRUE.....then i say, GREAT.....of course, either way i will continue to be his fan and LOVE AND DEFEND HIM. LONG LIVE THE KING.....TCB/TLC, ALISA
STEVENSTAR | Mar 21, 2013, 08:53 PM EDT
SURPRISE SURPRISE !! PRETTY SOON THERE WONT ACTUALLY BE ANY AMERICANS LEFT IF THIS CLAP TRAP CONTINUES....IT'S EVERY DAY NOW THERE ARE NEW 'DISCOVERIES' BEEN MADE ..OF PEOPLE WHO WE THOUGHT WERE AMERICAN.. BUT ARE NOW IN FACT IRISH. TELL ME, ARE THERE ACTUALLY ANY REAL AMERICANS LEFT LIVING IN AMERICA ANYMORE OR ARE YE ALL IRISH OR IRISH AMERICANS ? WHY NOT JUST RE-NAME AMERICA IRELAND ALTOGETHER.. AS YE'RE AT IT !! SURE YOU MIGHT AS WELL.
warrenpoint00 | Mar 21, 2013, 07:15 PM EDT
Elvis Presley ,s ancestors were Irish, so am I and my ancestors were too.I think it is so wonderful to be Irish, you do not have to explain yourself with rhetoric like," I am Irish but I am british, but I live in Ireland because Ireland used to belong to the british because we stole it., so I am british but irish as well".It is so easy to be Irish, thank god, and thank you eElvis for being Irish.
pilib04 | Mar 21, 2013, 06:23 PM EDT
noohvo just made this up. Fact is Elvis Presley is a descendant of Irish family. Presley's Irish connection was David Presley, but that was in the 1600's. "noohvo's" Dunnan Presley was great-great grandson of David Presley.
noohvo | Mar 21, 2013, 05:54 PM EDT
Elvis Presley probably does ahve some Irish roots but it's not on the Presley side the original name was PRESLER and he is descended from Andreas Presler born in 1701 in Hochstadt, Hessen-Nassau, Germany and died 1751 in Anson, North Carolina, USA, Dunnan Presley is a Great Grandson of this Andreas Presler.
IrelandNorth | Mar 21, 2013, 04:30 PM EDT
You can tell by his red hair and freckley face. And his white mansion in Grace [O Malley] Land. His forefathers were probably forced to emigrate by the local parish priest for swivelling their hips provocatively at the local Catholic girls in the Ballrooms of Romance. But if no one is as Irish as BHO, why not Elvis O Presley too. He'd make a better king (of Leinster) than Dermot Mc Murrough.
anglo-norman | Mar 21, 2013, 04:27 PM EDT
Elvis is as Irish as a Bar Mitzah
ancavker | Mar 21, 2013, 03:51 PM EDT
STEVEN: Is going to be upset with the Irish Sun for reporting this. Ironically all this who has Irish blood in the U.S. or Britain comes from sources in Ireland. I guess the irony of that is lost on STEVEN.
merefalow | Mar 21, 2013, 03:02 PM EDT
O,PRESLEY,definitely,knew it all along.
Ms.Gail | Mar 21, 2013, 01:29 PM EDT
Of course he was, he was a fine singer and storyteller wasn't he!
Searlit | Mar 21, 2013, 01:18 PM EDT
My mother told me Elvis was Irish when I was a teenager. I don't know how she knew it. She said he had blonde hair but dyed it black. I guess he wanted to look like the black Irish. Fantastical little Origin of Irish Spice that antoman tells.
jamieLM | Mar 21, 2013, 12:38 PM EDT
@antoman, now you know as an American, if I said "tae", stevenstar would have a total meltdown and accuse me of trying to be "Irish". Stevenstar is going to freak out over you saying there is "a little bit of Irish in everyone". Want a rerun of how "Irish" he is??? (:) He probably thinks he's a lot MORE IRISH than you are. LOL
antoman | Mar 21, 2013, 12:11 PM EDT
Thus there's a little bit of Irish in everyone. Its that sliver of skin between your fingers and toes.
antoman | Mar 21, 2013, 11:55 AM EDT
@jamieLM- Its tae, not tea. :)
jamieLM | Mar 21, 2013, 11:18 AM EDT
@antoman, what are you putting in your Irish tea??? LOL
antoman | Mar 21, 2013, 11:10 AM EDT
@jamieLM- Shur didn't we Irish thread water so long before coming ashore in Ireland after Atlantis sunk beneath us. That we developed webbing between our fingers and toes. We then went on to knock boots throughout the planet and as a result everyone has webbed fingers and toes.
jamieLM | Mar 21, 2013, 10:19 AM EDT
@ellenfromcork, evidently, to answer you question. LOL Next they'll say that people didn't originate from Africa, it was actually Ireland. (:))
ellenfromcork | Mar 21, 2013, 09:39 AM EDT
My God almighty!!! Did every bit of humanity arise from Ireland?!?
antoman | Mar 21, 2013, 09:23 AM EDT
"That's the wonder, the wonder of stew".